Self-compensating siding or roofing strip

Abstract

An integrally formed, interlocking siding or roofing strip assembly for covering a surface of a building. The strip includes a central panel, a lower spacing element, an upper assembly for operatively engaging the lower spacing element of another strip to be installed so as to interlock the strips in a partially overlapping manner, one above the other. The top end portion of the strip is provided with a plurality of generally vertically aligned corrugations having alternate ridge and valley portions. Fastening elements penetrate some of the valley and/or ridge portions to securely anchor the strips to the building surface. The corrugations serve (1) to compensate for expansions and contractions caused by aging and/or weather variations and (2) to continually bias the fastening elements to tightly anchor the strip to the surface in a spring-like manner thereby preventing the strips from becoming loose and eliminating noise and rattling. The corrugations may be provided with a plurality of apertures for operatively receiving the fastening elements and the thickness of the top end portion which is corrugated may be less than the thickness of the central panel to facilitate the compensation function of the corrugations.

I claim: 
     
       1. An integrally formed, interlocking strip for use as siding, roofing and the like to cover surface areas of buildings comprising: a generally rectangular panel having an interior surface, an exterior surface, an upper end portion, a lower end portion and a generally flat intermediate central portion between said upper and lower end portion, said upper end portion being generally coplanar with said intermediate central portion and the interior surface of said upper end portion being integrally contiguous with the interior surface of said intermediate central portion;   a first spacing and interlocking assembly integral with and extending outwardly from said exterior surface of said panel and disposed a first distance from the distal end of said upper end portion for spacing the lower end portion of a later installed strip while operatively engaging same for interlocking purposes;   a second spacing and interlocking assembly integral with and extending outwardly from said interior surface of said panel adjacent said lower end portion thereof for spacing said lower end portion a second spaced distance away from the surface of said building being covered while operatively engaging said exteriorly extending first assembly of a previously installed strip for interlocking said strips together one above the other; and   only a portion of said upper end portion disposed between said first assembly and the distal end of said upper end portion including corrugation means extending from said upper distal end toward and terminating short of said first distance, said corrugation means having alternate ridge and valley portions adapted to engagably receive fastening means therethrough for fixedly securing said strip to the surface of said building being covered, said corrugation means cooperating with said building surface being covered and said fastening means for (1) compensating for expansion and contraction of said strips with changing weather conditions and (2) achieving a spring-type buckle washer effect for maintaining a tight fit therebetween thereby preventing said strips from working lose and eliminating rattling and the like.   
     
     
       2. The interlocking strip of claim 1 wherein said corrugation means includes a plurality of apertures therethrough for operatively receiving a portion of the fastening means therein to secure said strip to the surface of said building being covered. 
     
     
       3. The interlocking strip of claim 1 wherein said fastening means includes a nail-like element having an elongated body having a point at one end thereof, said element being adapted to be driven through at least one of said valley portions of said corrugation means such that said pointed end of said element is anchored in the surface of said building being covered while the head of said element operatively engages the sides of said at least one valley portion to bear inwardly thereon thereby achieving said spring-type buckle washer effect tending to tightly bias said strip securely to said surface while said corrugation means remains free to compensate for expansions and contractions. 
     
     
       4. The interlocking strip of claim 1 wherein said fastening means includes a nail-like element having an elongated body having a point at one end thereof and a head at the opposite end thereof, said element being adapted to be driven through at least one of said ridge portions of said corrugation means such that the pointed end of said element is anchored in the surface of the building being covered while the head of said element operatively engages portions of said at least one ridge portion adjacent the point of penetration of said element to bear inwardly thereon thereby achieving said spring-type buckle washer effect tending to tightly bias said strip securely to said surface while said corrugation means remains free to compensate for expansions and contractions. 
     
     
       5. The interlocking strip of claim 1 wherein the thickness of said first portion is less than the thickness of said panel to facilitate the ability of said corrugation means to compensate for expansions and contractions. 
     
     
       6. The interlocking strip of claim 1 wherein said second spacing and interlocking assembly includes a generally L-shaped element having one leg portion integrally abutting the distal end of said lower end portion and disposed outwardly from and generally perpendicular to the interior surface of said panel, the bight of said L-shaped element being disposed upwardly toward said upper end portion and the other leg of said L-shaped element being disposed upwardly and generally parallel to the plane of said lower end portion. 
     
     
       7. The interlocking strip of claim 6 wherein said first spacing and interlocking assembly includes a generally h-shaped element integral with the exterior surface of said panel and extending outwardly therefrom, the top distal end of the long portion of said h-shaped element integrally abutting said exterior surface such that said long portion is generally perpendicular to the plane of said exterior surface and the cross-bar and short portions of said h-shaped element being disposed downwardly towards said lower end portion, said cross-bar portion being disposed generally parallel to the plane of said exterior surface to form a locking space bounded by said exterior surface, the upper part of said long portion and said cross-bar portion, said short portion being disposed outwardly from said cross-bar portion and at an acute angle with respect to an extension thereof, said locking space being adapted to operatively receive said other leg of said L-shaped element while said one leg portion is disposed against said short portion for interlocking said strips one above the other in a partially overlapping manner. 
     
     
       8. An improved siding or roofing-type strip having a generally flat central panel, a lower end portion integral with and extending rearwardly from said central panel for spacing the lower end portion of said strip a first distance away from the surface of the building being covered by said strips, an upper portion integral with and extending forwardly from said central panel for operatively engaging the lower end portion of a strip to be installed for interlocking said strips one above the other in a partially overlapping manner, the improvement comprising an elongated upper end portion having a first end and a second end, said second end integral with both said central panel and said upper portion, said elongated upper end portion being generally coplanar with said generally flat central panel, said elongated upper end portion including a plurality of generally vertically aligned corrugations extending from said first end toward and terminating short of said second end, said corrugations having alternated ridge and valley portions formed therein for (1) compensating for expansions and contractions of said strips with aging and changing weather conditions and (2) effecting a spring-type bias tending to keep said strip tightly secured to the surface of said building being covered thereby preventing the strips from becoming loose and eliminating noise. 
     
     
       9. The improved strip of claim 8 wherein fastening elements are used to secure said strips to said building surface being covered and wherein at least one of said ridge and valley portions of said corrugations are provided with apertures for operatively receiving at least a portion of one of said fastening elements therethrough to anchor said strip to said building surface while simultaneously providing for the compensating and biasing functions of said corrugations. 
     
     
       10. The improved strip of claim 8 wherein fastening elements are used to secure said strips to said building surface being covered and wherein at least one of said ridge and valley portions are adapted to penetratably receive at least a portion of said fastening elements therethrough to anchor said strip to said building surface while simultaneously enabling said corrguations to perform said compensating and biasing functions.